866 



VIRGINIA. 



to taxation. We know it has been a failure as a 

 measure for the collection of revenue, the pretended 

 reason for the innovation in 1876, and we know the 

 base, demoralizing, and dangerous uses to which it has 

 been prostituted. We know it contributes to the in- 

 crease of monopoly power and to corrupting the voter. 

 For these and other reasons we adhere to the purpose 

 hitherto expressed to provide more effectual legisla- 

 tion for the collection of this tux dedicated by the 

 Constitution to the oublic free schools, and to abolish 

 it as a qualification lor and restriction upon suffrage. 



6. The Readjusters congratulate the whole people 

 of Virginia on the progress of the last few years in 

 developing the mineral resources and promoting the 

 manufacturing enterprises in the State, and they de- 

 clare their purpose to aid these great and growing in- 

 dustries by all proper and essential legislation, State 

 and Federal. To this end they will continue their 

 efforts in behalf of more cordial relations between the 

 sections and States, and especially for the concord and 

 harmony which will make the country know how 

 earnestly and sincerely Virginia invites all men into 

 her borders as visitors or to become citizens without 

 fear of social or political ostracism ; that every man, 

 from whatever section of the country, shall enjoy the 

 fullest freedom of thought, speech, politics, and re- 

 ligion, and that the State which first formulated these 

 as fundamental in free government is yet the citadel 

 for their exercise and protection. 



The call for the regular Democratic or Con- 

 servative Convention was issued early in the 

 year, but the convention was not held until the 

 4th of August. It took place in Richmond, and 

 the proceedings occupied two days. The fol- 

 lowing platform was unanimously adopted be- 

 fore the nominations were made : 



The Conservative-Democratic party of Virginia 

 Democratic in its Federal relations and Conservative 

 hi its State policy assembled in convention, in view 

 of the present condition of the Union and of this Com- 

 mon wealth ; for the clear and distinct assertion of its 

 political principles, doth declare that we adopt the fol- 

 lowing articles of political faith : 



1. Equality of right and exact justice to all men, 

 special privileges to none ; freedom of religion, freedom 

 of the press, and freedom of the person under the pro- 

 tection of the habeas corpus ; of trial by juries impar- 

 tially selected, and of a pure, upright, and non-par- 

 tisan judiciary: elections by the people, free from 

 force or fraud or citizens, or of the military and civil 

 officers of government ; and the selection for public 

 offices of those who are honest and best fitted to fill 

 them ; the support of the State governments in all 

 their rights as the most competent administrators of 

 our domestic concerns and the surest bulwarks against 

 anti-republican tendencies; and the preservation of 

 the General Government in its whole constitutional 

 vigor as the sheet-anchor of our peace at home and 

 our safety abroad. 



2. That the maintenance of the public credit of 

 Virginia is an essential means to the promotion of her 

 prosperity. We condemn repudiation in every shape 

 and form as a blot upon her honor, a blow at her per- 

 manent welfare, and an obstacle to her progress in 

 wealth, influence, and power ; and that we will make 

 every effort to secure a settlement of the public debt, 

 with the consent of her creditors, which is consistent 

 with her honor and dictated bv justice and sound pub- 

 lic policy ; that it is eminently desirable and proper 

 that the several classes of the debt now existing should 

 be unified, so that equality, which is equity, may con- 

 trol in the annual payment of interest and the ultimate 

 redemption of principal ; that with a view of securing 

 such equality we pledge our party to use ah 1 lawful 

 authority to secure a settlement of the State debt so 

 that there shall be but one class of the public debt ; 

 that we will use all lawful and constitutional means in 

 our power to secure a settlement of the State debt 



upon the basis of a three-per-cent bond, and that the 

 Conservative-Democratic partv pledges itself, as a part 

 of its policy, not to increase the present rate of taxa- 

 tion. 



3. That we will uphold, in its full constitutional 

 integrity and efficiency, our public-school system for 

 the education of both white and colored children a 

 system inaugurated by the Constitution of the State 

 and established by the action of the Conservative 

 party years before it was required by the Constitu- 

 tion ; and will take the most effectual means for the 

 faithful execution of the same by applying to its sup- 

 port all the revenues set apart for that object by the 

 Constitution or otherwise. 



4. Upon this declaration of principles we cordially 

 invite the co-operation of all Conservative Democrat*, 

 whatever may have been, or now are, their vii\\s 

 upon the public debt, in the election of the nominees 

 of this convention and in the maintenance of the 

 supremacy of the Democratic party in this State. 



Jtesolvea, further. That any intimation, coming from 

 any quarter, that the Conservative-Democratic party 

 of Virginia has been, is now, or proposes to be op"- 

 posed to an honest ballot and a fair count, is a calumny 

 upon the State of Virginia as unfounded in fact as it is 

 dishonorable to its authors. 



Jtesohed, That special efforts be made to foster and 

 encourage the agricultural, mechanical, mining, manu- 

 facturing, and other industrial interests of the State. 



John W. Daniel was nominated as the can- 

 didate for Governor at the close of the first 

 day's proceedings. On the following day the 

 ticket was completed by the nomination of 

 James Barbour for Lieutenant- Governor, and 

 Philip W. McKinney for Attorney-General. 



It had been the plan of some of the Repub- 

 lican leaders to hold no State Convention, but 

 to form a coalition with the Readjusters by 

 taking part with them in their own convention. 

 This was in part carried out, the Republicans 

 joining in the election of delegates to the con- 

 vention of June 2d in many cases, but there 

 was a considerable element of the party which 

 was dissatisfied with this course, and averse to 

 the proposed coalition. John F. Lewis, who 

 was nominated by the Readjusters as their 

 candidate for Lieutenant-Governor, was chair- 

 man of the Republican State Central Commit- 

 tee. On the llth of June he called a meeting 

 of the committee, to be held at Richmond on 

 the 21st, but subsequently, on the 16th, post- 

 poned the date to the 28th. A part of the 

 committee met, however, on the 21st, and, in 

 the absence' of Mr. Lewis, General W. C. Wick- 

 ham was called to the chair, and the follow- 

 ing resolutions were adopted, by a vote of 15 

 to 2: 



Whereas, On the llth day of February, 1881, the 

 State Central Committee of the Republican party 

 adopted by a unanimous vote (all the members being 

 present in person or by proxy) the following resolu- 

 tion: 



Itesolved, That the well-being of the Republican 

 party in Virginia demands that no member of a Re- 

 publican organization or committee shall be at the 

 same time a member of any political organization or 

 committee which does not acknowledge allegiance 

 to the Republican party and its principles, and any 

 such member so acting shall thereby vacate his posi- 

 tion as a member of the Republican committee or or- 

 ganization, and a Republican shall be elected forth- 

 with in his stead ; and 



Whereas, The Hon. John F. Lewis, by accepting a 



